Kuwait City — Kuwait has advised citizens to make sure their phones contain no material that might be seen as being linked to militants before traveling to the United States, local media reported on Saturday, after three men were denied entry in July.
State news agency KUNA quoted a statement by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington as saying that authorities at “some US airports may check the contents of mobile phones or other smart mobile equipment.”
“The embassy of the state of Kuwait in Washington urged citizens to make sure that their phones do not contain any materials or photos of extremist nature, related to areas of conflict or terrorist organizations or footage of violence of all kinds before entering US territories,” KUNA said, citing a statement.
“(This is) so that students and citizens may be spared questioning by authorities in US airports and to avoid any action against them that could result in canceling their visas and banning them from entering US territories,” it added.
The Arabic language Al-Rai newspaper reported in July that three businessmen were questioned for 21 hours at Los Angeles airport and had their telephones checked before they were turned back, in the second incident of its kind this year.
The Gulf Arab OPEC oil exporter is a key US ally and a member of an international alliance led by the United States which is fighting against Daesh in Syria.
In July, the United Arab Emirates, another close Gulf Arab ally of the United States, told its male citizens to avoid wearing traditional white robes and head dress when traveling abroad, after a businessman was wrestled to the ground at an Avon, Ohio hotel and held as a Daesh suspect.
The Saudi Cultural Attaché in Washington also instructed Saudis pursuing their higher studies in American universities to remove suspicious contents from their mobile phones.
Students have been told to remove photos of flashpoints in the Middle East and video clips relating to terrorist organizations in order to avoid suspicion.
Such materials could lead to cancelation of their student visas, the attaché warned.
Since Sept. 11 incidents, US authorities have canceled 122,000 visas during the past 14 years (2001-2015), according to a report issued by White & Associates.
The attaché’s warning came after US security agencies stopped a number of Saudi students for questioning when they returned to the US after summer vacation this year.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Eissa, Saudi cultural attaché in Washington, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that visas of Saudi students were rarely canceled on the basis of mobile phone content.
